Protective Athletic Garment

ABSTRACT

A protective athletic garment that provides cushioning effect to areas of wearer&#39;s body and shock absorbing capability, while keeping resistance to impact and collision during activities. The garment comprises an article of clothing which covers a portion of a wearer&#39;s body and a protective element attached into areas susceptible to injury. The protective element is preferably formed of a base layer of polyurethane shock absorbent foam and a top layer of thermoplastic polyurethane foil including flex zones and raised elements to provide high abrasion resistance and low friction sliding ability during falls. The protective element comprises ventilation holes and a plurality of grooves to stitch the protective element to the garment to create any style of garment. The protective element can be used for different portions of the wearer&#39;s body by varying the shape and/or size of the protective element to accommodate a variety of human body portions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This embodiment relates to protective garments, and more particularly toa garment to protect athletes, constructed with at least one protectiveelement integrated into areas susceptible to injury.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

With the increasing popularity of sports such as skateboarding,roller-blading, scooter riding, skiing, snowboarding, sledding and iceskating, the incidences of musculoskeletal injury and fracture havespiked. Some attempts have been made to construct various forms of padsfor the protection of parts of the body which include foam pad,gel-filled pad and inflatable cushion filled with fluid. These pads arerelatively bulky and cumbersome and are inflexible and are not shaped tobend to the contour of the athlete's body, as such these pads did notlend ease of movement of the athlete.

Various protective gears are devised to guard or protect areas such aselbow, knee, shoulder and waist of the athlete's body more susceptibleto injury. These protective gears can be worn by athletes or sportenthusiasts during the high-risk sports. Protective gear currentlyavailable consists mainly of sets of pads, such as knee pad, elbow pad,shoulder pad or wrist pad which are attached outside of the garment withVelcro straps. Various solutions have not entirely solved the currentproblems, including these pads are time consuming put on, uncomfortable,and often slide off at the onset of activity.

Certain pads are attached inside the garment or sometimes within thepockets through adhesive or stitching. Such pads attached with adhesivecan be accidently dislodged and easily distorted and removed. Such padsstitched inside the garment provide a bulky and clumsy look and does notprovide a natural athletic look. In addition, these garments stitchedwith pads are not lightweight, aerated and washable.

Some pads attached with the garments are commonly made of exposed hardplastic and metal rivets, which can actually cause injury to othersduring collisions. Some garments include removable pads which ought tobe washed separately and perhaps less frequently. Some garments withprotective pads do not used as daily wear and readily convertible intodifferent styles of garments.

In light of the foregoing, there is a need for an economical, a simple,a washable, and a reusable athletic garment integrated with protectiveelements into areas more susceptible to injury. Such a needed tool wouldinclude two layers of semi-rigid light weight protective elements whichcould be attached to any garment to protect the parts of the athleteduring athletic activity. Such protective elements would include a thickbase layer that is adaptable to provide shock absorption. Moreover, theprotective elements would include a thin top layer that is adaptable toprovide abrasion resistance and allow low friction sliding abilityduring falls. Further, the present embodiment would include ventilationholes to improve aeration during activity, flex zones to improveflexibility to bend to the contour of the athlete's body during activityand raised elements to provide slip resistant grip to prevent the wearerfrom slipping/sliding from a ground surface during falls. Furthermore,the protective element would be stitched to the garment to create anystyle of garment. The present embodiment accomplishes these objectives.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present embodiment is a protective athletic garment that providescushioning effect to areas of the wearer's body and shock absorbingcapability, while keeping resistance to impact and collision duringactivities. The protective athletic garment comprises an article ofclothing which covers a portion of a wearer's body and at least oneprotective element attached into areas susceptible to injury. The atleast one protective element is tightened and supported with the areasof the protective athletic garment using at least one securing means.The at least one securing means is selected from a group consisting ofspring clips, Velcro straps, low-tack adhesive tapes, elastic bands orstraps. Preferably, the protective element is flexible so that they canconform to the shape of the areas and bend when the wearer moves.

The protective element comprises an inner surface adaptable to mountover the garment and an outer surface adaptable to contact with asurface during falls or collisions. The protective element is preferablyformed of a base layer of polyurethane foam and a top layer ofthermoplastic polyurethane foil. The top layer preferably is bendable,so that it can be curved to conform to the contour of the areas, andalso dense or hard enough to deflect at least a portion of the impact.The top layer includes a plurality of flex zones that defined ashorizontal grooves or depressions and is adaptable to provideflexibility during athletic activities. The top layer provides highabrasion resistance and low friction sliding ability during falls. Thebase layer preferably is a relatively compressible medium such as densefoam, which is shock absorbent. The base layer of polyurethane foam isthicker than the top layer of thermoplastic polyurethane foil. Thus, theprotective element is lightweight and washable.

The protective element comprises a plurality of holes extended throughthe thick base layer of polyurethane foam and the thin top layer ofthermoplastic polyurethane foil. The plurality of holes is adaptable toprovide ventilation and aeration during athletic activity. Theprotective element further comprises a plurality of grooves positionedalong an outer edge thereof. The plurality of grooves is utilized tostitch the protective element to the garment to create any style ofgarment.

The outer surface comprises a plurality of raised elements on the toplayer which is adaptable to provide slip resistant grip to prevent thewearer from slipping/sliding from a ground surface during falls. Theplurality of raised elements creates friction between the at least oneprotective element and the wearer's body to provide grip and therebyprovide increased protection.

The protective element can be used for different portions of thewearer's body by varying the shape and/or size of the protective elementto accommodate a variety of human body portions. The article of clothingincluding apparels but not limited to a long sleeve shirt, a shortsleeve shirt, a sleeveless shirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of pants.

The present embodiment provides an economical, a simple, a washable, anda reusable athletic garment integrated with protective elements intoareas more susceptible to injury. Such a needed tool would include twolayers of semi-rigid light weight protective elements which could beattached to any garment to protect the parts of the athlete duringactivity. Such protective elements would include a thick base layer thatis adaptable to provide shock absorption. Moreover, the protectiveelements would include a thin top layer that is adaptable to provideabrasion resistance and allow low friction sliding ability during falls.Further, the present embodiment would include ventilation holes toimprove aeration during activity and flex zones to improve flexibilityto bend to the contour of the athlete's body during athletic activity.Furthermore, the protective element would be stitched to the garment tocreate any style of garment. Other features and advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent from the following more detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a long pants attached with at leastone protective element on a knee area in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the at least one protective elementshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the at least one protective element shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the at least one protective element shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view to illustrate a base layerand a top layer of the at least one protective element shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of a long sleeve shirts attached withat least one protective element on an elbow area in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 a top plan view of the at least one protective element shown inFIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the at least one protective elementshown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the at least one protective element shown inFIG. 6; and

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross sectional view to illustrate a base layerand a top layer of the at least one protective element shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following describes example embodiments in which the presentinvention may be practiced. This invention, however, may be embodied inmany different ways, and the description provided herein should not beconstrued as limiting in any way. Among other things, the followinginvention may be embodied as methods or devices. As such, the presentinvention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software andhardware aspects. The following detailed descriptions should not betaken in a limiting sense.

In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patentdocuments, to include one or more than one. In this document, the term“or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive “or,” such that “A or B”includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwiseindicated. Furthermore, all publications, patents, and patent documentsreferred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. In theevent of inconsistent usages between this document and those documentsso incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference(s)should be considered supplementary to that of this document; forirreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

Turning now to the drawings in general and to FIG. 1 in particular,there is shown therein a protective athletic garment made in accordancewith the present invention and designated generally by the referencenumeral 10. In the embodiment illustrated, the protective athleticgarment 10 is long pants, however the protective athletic garment 10could take the form of a pair of shorts or any other item of apparelthat include a portion that covers lower body portion. Generally, theprotective athletic garment comprises an article of clothing whichcovers a portion of a wearer's body. The protective athletic garment maybe formed of any washable or durable fabric material, or elasticmaterial.

Referring to FIG. 1, the protective athletic garment 10 comprises atleast one protective element 12 attached on a knee area 14. In thisexample, the at least one protective element 12 is tightened andsupported with the knee area 14 of the protective athletic garment 10using at least one securing means 16. The at least one securing means 16is selected from a group consisting of spring clips, Velcro straps,low-tack adhesive tapes, elastic bands or straps. Preferably, the atleast one protective element 12 are flexible so that they can conform tothe shape of the knee area 14 and bend when the wearer moves. Morepreferably, the at least one protective element 12 provides cushioningeffect to areas of the wearer's body and shock absorbing capability,while keeping resistance to impact and collision during athleticactivities.

FIGS. 2-5 illustrate a structure of the at least one protective element12 shown in FIG. 1 in detail. Referring to FIG. 2, the at least oneprotective element 12 comprises an inner surface 18 and an outer surface20. The inner surface 18 is adaptable to mount over the garment 10 andthe outer surface 20 is adaptable to contact with a surface during fallsor collisions. The at least one protective element 12 is preferablyformed of a base layer of polyurethane foam 22 and a top layer ofthermoplastic polyurethane foil 24 as shown in FIG. 5. The top layer 24preferably is bendable, so that it can be curved to conform to thecontour of the knee area 14, and also dense or hard enough to deflect atleast a portion of the impact. More preferably, the top layer 24includes a plurality of flex zones 26. The plurality of flex zones 26 isadaptable to provide flexibility during athletic activities. Theplurality of flex zones 26 is defined as horizontal grooves ordepressions to resistant to buckling or folding, and capable ofdeflecting the impact forces. The top layer 24 may be made ofnon-elastic, flexible, or plastic material thereby the top layer 24 islightweight, flexible and washable. The top layer 24 provides highabrasion resistance and low friction sliding ability during falls.

The base layer 22 preferably is a relatively compressible medium such asdense foam, which is shock absorbent and also washable. The base layerof polyurethane foam 22 is thicker than the top layer of thermoplasticpolyurethane foil 24.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the outer surface 20 comprises a plurality ofraised elements 34 on the top layer 24 which is adaptable to provideslip resistant grip to prevent the wearer from slipping/sliding from aground surface during falls. The plurality of raised elements 34 areintended to create friction between the at least one protective element12 and the wearer's body to provide grip and thereby provide increasedprotection.

The plurality of raised elements 34 have a textured surface, such as arubber layer for example, to facilitate traction between the at leastone protective element 12 and the ground surface. The plurality ofraised elements 34 may be made in a variety of shapes, such assubstantially rectangular (as shown in FIG. 3), square, round, oval orany other shape. The plurality of raised elements 34 is shown locatedabout the top layer 24 of the at least one protective element 12; oneskilled in the art would envision a variety of other positions andconfigurations for these raised elements 34. Preferably, the pluralityof raised elements 34 may be made of any suitable no-slip materials thathave a variety of different surface textures and can take on a varietyof different configurations.

The at least one protective element 12 comprises a plurality of grooves28 positioned along an outer edge 30 thereof. The plurality of grooves28 is utilized to stitch the at least one protective element 12 to thegarment 10 to create any style of garment. The at least one protectiveelement 12 further comprises a plurality of holes 32 extended throughthe thick base layer of polyurethane foam 22 and the thin top layer ofthermoplastic polyurethane foil 24. The plurality of holes 32 isadaptable to provide ventilation and aeration during athletic activity.

Referring to FIG. 6, in one embodiment illustrated, a protectiveathletic garment 40 is long sleeve shirts, however the protectiveathletic garment 40 could take the form of a short sleeve shirts or anyother item of apparel that include a portion that covers upper bodyportion. In this embodiment, at least one protective element 42 is shownas attached with the protective athletic garment 40 on an elbow area 44.The at least one protective element 42 is tightened and supported withthe elbow area 44 of the protective athletic garment 40 using at leastone securing means 16. The at least one securing means 16 is selectedfrom a group consisting of spring clips, Velcro straps, low-tackadhesive tapes, elastic bands or straps.

Referring to FIGS. 7-10, a structure of at least one protective element42 shown in FIG. 6 is described in detail. Referring to FIG. 7, the atleast one protective element 42 comprises an inner surface 48 and anouter surface 50. The inner surface 48 is adaptable to mount over thegarment 40 and the outer surface 50 is adaptable to contact with asurface during falls or collisions. The at least one protective element42 is preferably formed of a base layer of polyurethane foam 52 and atop layer of thermoplastic polyurethane foil 54 as shown in FIG. 10.

Similarly, the top layer 54 preferably is bendable, so that it can becurved to conform to the contour of the elbow area 44, and also dense orhard enough to deflect at least a portion of the impact. The top layer54 includes a plurality of flex zones 56 that defined as horizontalgrooves or depressions and is adaptable to provide flexibility duringathletic activities. The plurality of flex zones 56 are resistant tobuckling or folding, and capable of deflecting the impact forces. Thetop layer 54 provides high abrasion resistance and low friction slidingability during falls. The base layer 52 preferably is relatively thickdense foam, which is shock absorbent. Thus, the at least one protectiveelement 42 is lightweight, flexible and washable.

The at least one protective element 42 comprises a plurality of holes 62extended through the thick base layer of polyurethane foam 52 and thethin top layer of thermoplastic polyurethane foil 54. The plurality ofholes 62 is adaptable to provide ventilation and aeration duringathletic activity. The at least one protective element 42 furthercomprises a plurality of grooves 58 positioned along an outer edge 60thereof. The plurality of grooves 58 is utilized to stitch the at leastone protective element 42 to the garment 40 to create any style ofgarment.

As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the outer surface 50 comprises a plurality ofraised elements 64 on the top layer 54 which is adaptable to provideslip resistant grip to prevent the wearer from slipping/sliding from aground surface during falls. The plurality of raised elements 64 createsfriction between the at least one protective element 42 and the wearer'sbody to provide grip and thereby provide increased protection.

The protective element 12 can be used for different portions of thewearer's body by varying the shape and/or size of the protective element12 to accommodate a variety of human body portions. For instance, thelocation, shape and size of the plurality of flex zones 26 and theplurality of holes 32 can be customized to accommodate the differenthuman body portions. For example, the protective element 12 can be madein different sizes, such as small, medium, and large. In someembodiments, a length and a width of the protective element 12 can becustomized according to the wearer's body portions. In addition, theplurality of holes 32 and the plurality of flex zones 26 may be anysizes or shapes or depths or placements, not limited to those describedin the figures.

The article of clothing including apparels but not limited to a longsleeve shirt, a short sleeve shirt, a sleeveless shirt, a pair of shortsand a pair of pants. The protective element is integrated to any area ofa garment including but not limited to: elbows, knees, wrists,shoulders, hips, buttocks, ankles, feet, neck and torso. The protectiveathletic garment is used with various sports including but not limitedto skateboarding, scooter riding, roller skating, roller balding,skiing, sledding, snowboarding, baseball, football, hockey, soccer, iceskating, basketball and playground playing.

In a preferred embodiment, and contingent upon various embodiments, theprotective element constructed in accordance with the methods of thepresent invention by injection of liquefied polyurethane into machinedsteel molds containing heat molded thermoplastic polyurethane foil.After approximately 12 minutes of hardening time, the protective elementis finished by hand. The constructed protective element may be attachedor stitched into the garment through the plurality of grooves along theouter edge of the protective element to create any style garment.

The base layer of protective element may be made of any suitablesemi-rigid materials that provide shock absorption. The top layer ofprotective element may be made of hard plastic or carbon fiber material.The embodiments relate to a padding structure designed to construct ofone layer or more than two layers in different thicknesses. The layersmay be made of any number of different materials that impart lightweightportability and deployment.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will be apparent that various modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, the garment can be attached with any type of protective elementthat may be provided with any feature to improve protection and may becustomized according to user preferences, for example, size, shape andmaterial. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited,except as by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective athletic garment comprising: anarticle of clothing adapted to cover a portion of a wearer's body; andat least one protective element being formed of a base layer ofpolyurethane foam and a top layer of thermoplastic polyurethane foil,the at least one protective element having an inner surface beingadapted to mount over the garment, an outer surface having a pluralityof raised elements, a plurality of flex zones disposed on the top layerof thermoplastic polyurethane foil, a plurality of holes being extendedthrough the base layer of polyurethane foam and the top layer ofthermoplastic polyurethane foil and a plurality of grooves beingpositioned along an outer edge thereof; whereby the at least oneprotective element is adaptable to provide flexibility and cushioningeffect to the areas of the wearer's body, while keeping resistance toimpact and collision.
 2. The protective athletic garment of claim 1wherein the plurality of flex zones is defined as horizontal groovesthat adaptable to provide flexibility during athletic activity.
 3. Theprotective athletic garment of claim 1 wherein the plurality of holes isadaptable to provide ventilation and aeration during athletic activity.4. The protective athletic garment of claim 1 wherein the plurality ofgrooves is utilized to stitch the at least one protective element to thegarment to create any style of garment.
 5. The protective athleticgarment of claim 1 wherein the plurality of raised elements is adaptableto provide slip resistant grip to prevent a wearer from slipping/slidingfrom a ground surface during falls.
 6. The protective athletic garmentof claim 1 wherein the base layer of polyurethane foam provides shockabsorption and the top layer of thermoplastic polyurethane foil providesabrasion resistance and low friction sliding ability during falls. 7.The protective athletic garment of claim 1 wherein the at least oneprotective element further comprises at least one securing means fortightening the at least one protective element to areas of the wearer'sbody and loosening for comfort during leisure time.
 8. The protectiveathletic garment of claim 6 wherein the at least one securing means isselected from a group consisting of spring clips, Velcro straps,low-tack adhesive tapes, elastic bands or straps.
 9. The protectiveathletic garment of claim 1 wherein the at least one protective elementis washable and light weight.
 10. The protective athletic garment ofclaim 1 wherein the article of clothing includes apparels but notlimited to a long sleeve shirt, a short sleeve shirt, a sleevelessshirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of pants.
 11. The protective athleticgarment of claim 1 wherein the at least one protective element isintegrated to any area of a garment including but not limited to:elbows, knees, wrists, shoulders, hips, buttocks, ankles, feet, neck andtorso.
 12. The protective athletic garment of claim 1 is used withvarious sports including but not limited to skateboarding, scooterriding, roller skating, roller balding, skiing, sledding, snowboarding,baseball, football, hockey, soccer, ice skating, basketball andplayground playing.
 13. A protective athletic garment comprising: anarticle of clothing adapted to cover a portion of a wearer's body; andat least one protective element having an inner surface being adapted tobe mounted over the article of clothing and an outer surface having aplurality of raised elements, the at least one protective elementcomprising: a thick base layer of polyurethane foam being adaptable toprovide shock absorption; a thin top layer of thermoplastic polyurethanefoil having a plurality of flex zones, the thin top layer ofthermoplastic polyurethane foil being adaptable to provide abrasionresistance and low friction sliding ability during falls; a plurality ofholes extended through the thick base layer of polyurethane foam and thethin top layer of thermoplastic polyurethane foil; and a plurality ofgrooves positioned along an outer edge of the at least one protectiveelement, the plurality of grooves being utilized to stitch the at leastone protective element to the garment; whereby the at least oneprotective element is adaptable to provide flexibility and cushioningeffect to the areas of the wearer's body, while keeping resistance toimpact and collision.
 14. The protective athletic garment of claim 13wherein the plurality of flex zones is defined as horizontal grooves andadaptable to provide flexibility during athletic activity.
 15. Theprotective athletic garment of claim 13 wherein the plurality of holesis adaptable to provide ventilation and aeration during athleticactivity.
 16. The protective athletic garment of claim 13 wherein theplurality of raised elements is adaptable to provide slip resistant gripto prevent a wearer from slipping/sliding from a ground surface duringfalls.
 17. A method for constructing and attaching at least oneprotective element to a garment, the method comprising the steps of: (a)providing a thick base layer of polyurethane foam; (b) providing a thintop layer of thermoplastic polyurethane foil having a plurality of flexzones and a plurality of raised elements; (c) adhering a thick baselayer of polyurethane foam with a thin top layer of thermoplasticpolyurethane foil to create the at least one protective element; (d)providing a plurality of holes on the at least one protective elementfor ventilation and aeration; (e) providing the garment; and (f)attaching the at least one protective element to the garment in areassusceptible to injury; whereby the at least one protective element isadaptable for providing flexibility and cushioning effect to the areasof wearer's body, while keeping resistance to impact and collision. 18.The method of claim 17 wherein step (f) further comprises: stitching theat least one protective element to the garment using a plurality ofgrooves positioned along an outer edge of the at least one protectiveelement.
 19. The method of claim 17 further comprising: (g) tighteningthe at least one protective element to the garment using at least onesecuring means.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the at least onesecuring means is selected from a group consisting of spring clips,Velcro straps, low-tack adhesive tapes, elastic bands or straps.